1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to box blanks and boxes having tabs attached thereto which will allow for simple opening and resealing of the boxes when the boxes have been sealed with adhesive sealing tape.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is common knowledge in the art that conventional boxes contain four sides having upper and lower edges, a bottom, and a top having a center line and containing two inner flaps and two outer flaps. For convenience, and to acknowledge that the two flaps are not always of the same width, this center line will be referred to as the joining line throughout this specification. The outer flaps come into close proximity with each other near the joining line when the boxes are closed. In order to seal such boxes, a strip of strong, sometimes reinforced, adhesive sealing tape is applied. This tape generally runs from a point near the top of one side, along the joining line of the top, and down the opposite side to a point near the top of that side. In many instances, a plurality of strips are applied to add additional strength to the seal. It is also conventional to seal boxes by causing tape to go from one side of the box to the other, passing perpendicular to the joining line. Conventionally, both ends of the tape are firmly adhered to the sides of the boxes. Opening the boxes by lifting the tape is extremely difficult and time-consuming. Therefore, clerks, stock personnel, or other end users resort to opening the boxes by cutting the tape with a variety of cutting devices. These cutting devices have sharp edges, which are dangerous to carry or to leave lying around. These cutting devices are also easy to lose. Until now, there has been no simple way to open boxes sealed as described above or to be able to open and reseal the boxes a multiplicity of times. Additionally, At times it is important to determine if a sealed box has been previously opened following the initial sealing. Using conventional sealing tape, there is no way to make this determination.